Dare We Mutter Declutter…
Debbie Robinson is the Managing Director at House to Home. In this article, she offers some tips on decluttering one's home.
Never before have we spent so much time at home. In these slightly surreal times, our homes have become our personal sanctuaries. But with more time spent in the comfort of our own home, there is less opportunity to take a step back and really see what could be making our post-lockdown life that little bit harder.
For a living, I project manage people’s house moves and as part of that process, I arrange personal storage and declutter before we even get the removal quotes in. One of the most important and underestimated stages of any move process is the thinning out and re-evaluating of all of the things in your home before you move.
I find my clients often put in the initial call because they don’t know where to start. It can be a bit of a mental hurdle. But I promise, once you make that first breakthrough, decluttering can become quite addictive. You’ve heard the expression about never keeping anything that isn’t of use or not aesthetically pleasing (I can feel a few husbands shuffling awkwardly in their chairs). Well, I believe in that. I also believe that hoarding and untidiness can impact your mental wellbeing.
And, of course, if you’re buying a new home, the last thing you want to do is to move all that excess with you. If for no other reason, who wants to pay more moving costs to have unwanted items moved from one place to the next!
If you’re feeling inspired to have a go, here are my top tips to get you started.
First off, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take it easy. Be kind to yourself and tackle categories one at a time rather than the whole house in one. Take absolutely everything out of the space you’re organising, take a deep breath and don’t panic at what will no doubt look like utter chaos! Trust me; this how it’s supposed to look... This is good!
Create groups of things by placing items together, then go through each group and put everything in either yes, no or unsure piles. Have a plan of what to do with the items in the no pile and take them out of the house as soon as possible. You can sell or simply give them away for free as a recycling / upcycling option. The other option is the tip. It takes a brave person to simply ‘get rid of stuff’ but afterwards you’ll feel like a weight has been lifted. If you don’t, the items have a cheeky way of working their way back into the cupboards!
Organise the yes piles in your cupboards, buying storage containers if necessary to help keep them neat and tidy. This is a great time to really store your things properly so that you keep control over what you have and where it is. Use labels, labels and more labels... so everything has a home and can easily be found and stored away again. Put the unsure pile somewhere out of sight and if you don’t miss the items, they will naturally work their way out of the house. Or maybe give them a little push!
TOP TIP: Think about replacing excess furniture with plants. Bringing the outside inside can really help. It’s a cheap way to improve air quality within your home. I have at least three in every room and understand they can remove toxins from the environment. I have read that nature benefits our mental health too – and can lift our mood (we could all do with a bit of that right now).